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Last update - 16:06 25/10/2009
U.K. teen who took on far-rightist: Jews, Israel don't want BNP support
By Max Julius, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel News, BNP 
 

Israel and the Jewish people do not want the support of the British National Party, a British teenager who confronted the leader of the extreme-rightwing on a flagship BBC news show told Haaretz on Sunday.

"[Nick Griffin] said his party was the only party in the U.K. which backed Israel against Gaza in the war last year," said 17-year-old Joel Weiner. "In my opinion, the people of Israel and the Jews don't want an ounce of his support."

Weiner, whose father is a rabbi, prompted laughter at Griffin?s response to his question on Holocaust denial on the show, Question Time.
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"This was a very important issue to me, and I wanted people to be able to hear about it from someone who has it in their family history," Weiner told Haaretz.

"I also wanted to just hear what he had to say about Holocaust denial - because there was really no way he could answer the question."
The BBC has come under heavy criticism for granting Griffin a platform on which to air his views; his party has claimed to have signed up another 3,000 members following the show.

But Weiner cast doubt on the claims, saying he supported the BBC decision to have Griffin on Question Time.

"I think that the program revealed what they actually believe; people in Britain have enough common sense not to fall for it," he said.

During the show, the north London student told Griffin: "Winston Churchill put everything on the line so that my ancestors wouldn't get slaughtered in the concentration camps. But here sits a man who says that that's a myth, just like the flat world was a myth. How could you say that?"

Griffin's answer - that he was no longer a Holocaust denier, but European law prevented him from answering - was met with disbelief and ridicule.

Weiner told Haaretz on Sunday that he felt very nervous as he put the question to the far-rightist. "But after I said it," he added, "I felt really good about what I said."


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      1.   The Right Move 16:15  |  Jeff K. 25/10/09
      2.   unfortunately, you do 16:34  |  nadav 25/10/09
      3.   Far rightists 16:49  |  Paul 25/10/09
      4.   The only way to disprove a myth ... 17:26  |  Historian 25/10/09
      5.   Teenager Weiner it would behove you.... 18:26  |  M 25/10/09
      6.   Documentation... 18:33  |  Logic 25/10/09
      7.   Congratulations and shame 18:34  |  Naftush 25/10/09
      8.   weiner needs to read up on his history 18:36  |  bernard ross 25/10/09
      9.   Churchill put nothing on the line to help Jews during WW2 18:57  |  Alan SA 25/10/09
      10.   Right Wing 19:35  |  Yossi 25/10/09
      11.   Common sense? 10:30  |  John 26/10/09
      12.   This kid is dumb 14:55  |  Boris 26/10/09
      13.   nadav 16:05  |  Pablo Luis 26/10/09
      14.   actually, the bnp and the israeli government see eye to eye 18:23  |  eric 26/10/09
      15.   nadav: is that really a coincidence? 14:19  |  AT 27/10/09
      16.   Reply to Nadav 16:17  |  Danny 27/10/09
      17.   #5 M: Weiner is British 13:09  |  BDS 02/11/09
      18.   Historian, #4, What you wrote is unhistorical. 00:29  |  Jake 18/11/09
      19.   #3, Paul, better the devil you know 00:40  |  Jake 18/11/09
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